Tag Archives: hills

Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Ferry Terminal, Oban

Image Leave a comment
Ferry Terminal, Oban
“Ferry Terminal, Oban” — Ferry terminal, waterfront, and the town of Oban, Scotland.

The Scottish town of Oban has many attractions. It is a nice contrast to larger cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh — it is small, walkable, and charming. It sits right on the waterfront, and it is a center of marine traffic, with fishing boats, personal watercraft, and ferries heading to island locations. And being so close to the water, it is a fine place to find great seafood.

We spent a couple of days there in mid-May when the press of tourists wasn’t yet that great, and the weather was warming up. (Despite the overcast sky in this photograph, it was actually warm, and some of the natives gratefully suggested that perhaps we had brought our California weather along.) The ferry dock is at the lower left in this scene, with homes on the hillside beyond.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Highland Trees and Fog

Image 2 Comments
Highland Trees and Fog
“Highland Trees and Fog” — Fog and trees along the Great Glen Way in the Scottish Highlands above Loch Ness.

Most of our hike on Scotland’s Great Glen Way passed through various bucolic landscapes: flatlands, tree-lined canals, the shores of the lochs, lowland and hillside forests. But on a couple of occasions the trail ascended above the forest and into true highlands terrain. Both times the gentle (though occasionally a bit wet) Scottish weather turned more dramatic. In this location, on the boundary between forest and open highlands, the fog drifted in and out, occasionally obscuring the view of the Glen and Loch Ness far below.

This photograph comes from the section of the walk that lies just north of Fort Augustus. Here the trail quickly climbs out of town, passing the iconic “View Catcher”, crossing a ridge, dropping into a valley, and then ascending steeply to a ridge high above Loch Ness.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Mountains and Dunes, Sunset

Image Leave a comment
Mountains and Dunes, Sunset
“Mountains and Dunes, Sunset” — Evening light on desert mountains with sand dunes in shadow, Death Valley.

Until you spend time there, it is possible to imagine that the terrain of Death Valley corresponds to traditional notions of “desert” — vast open and flat areas largely filled with sand. There are sand dunes, of course, but they cover a very tiny fraction of the entire park. There are open, flat areas that are not dunes, but they also are arguably not the area’s main feature. But everywhere there are mountains, and the arid landscape lays bare their forms.

I was in what are perhaps the best-known Death Valley dunes on this evening. I arrived in the late afternoon when the light was still strong, planning to be in an interesting location when the shadows of the Cottonwood Range would sweep across the flatlands before sunset. I made this photograph just after that happened, and while the dunes are in shadow there is strong and warmly-colored side light on the more distant mountains.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Evening Dunes, Desert Mountains

Image Leave a comment
Evening Dunes, Desert Mountains
“Evening Dunes, Desert Mountains” — The day’s last light on sand dunes backed by the Kit Fox hills and base of the Grapevine Mountains.

What trip to Death Valley would be complete without at least one morning or evening wandering sand dunes and photographing them? Although this visit was focused on the ephemeral appearance of Lake Manly, I still found some time for more familiar subjects. On my final evening in the park I went to these well-known dunes just before sunset, planning to photograph the dunes, the lengthening shadows, the warm light, and distant desert mountains.

There are a lot of little bits of knowledge about these dunes that are useful if you are going to photograph them. Here the sunset light disappears a bit earlier than you might expect since long shadows move across the valley as the sun drops behind mountains in the west. There’s only a brief interval between very bright direct sun and the arrival of the shadows — so it is important to arrive earlier than you might think and to then be ready to act quickly.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.